Please Help Me Choose a Digital SLR

If you've been around for a while, you may have noticed that I like to take pictures.

For a long time, a REAL camera has been on my "someday" list. Right now I have a Canon Powershot Point and Shoot 7 megapixel whatever. It's pretty good for everyday use, and I've actually been fairly amazed by some of the macro shots I've been able to get with it.

I spent a good amount of time this year thinking about who I want to be... maybe a symptom of approaching 30 years old. I feel fairly good. Not everything is going quite as planned, but I'm working on it. I have settled comfortably into the fact that the two things I want to focus on to keep my eye on who I am are my writing and my photography. Which brought me to the decision that "someday" needs to be sooner rather than later. One of the nice things about having a late November birthday is that I can do the combination B-day/Xmas presents thing. I decided that this year for family I'm going to find a camera I want then ask for gift cards to somewhere I can purchase it.

I am BEYOND excited about this. I can't wait to start becoming a more serious amateur photographer. I look at the photos I've managed to take with my little point and shoot and daydream about the photos I could take if I had a REAL camera. I'm SO looking forward to learning something new and being creative, and just all of it.

But...

I have no idea what I'm doing in shopping for a camera.

This is where YOU come in.

I need advice, tips, suggestions and any other information you can offer about buying my first Digital SLR camera. Here is some information about what I want to be able to do:

- I want to be able to get a good macro lens, probably ASAP after getting the camera. I'm most interested in this. I'll want to add a good telephoto lens in the near future as well.

- I want to be able to take better pictures of my kids, who never. stop. moving. I want a camera with a good feature to take multiple, fast photos with one button push.

- I want to be able to take better photos in low-light settings.

I don't know what else, because like I said I'm just starting out. So, spill it!

- What kind of camera do you use?

- What do you like about it? What could use improvement?

- What lenses do you own, and what do you like about them?

- What kinds of things should I look at when trying to choose a camera?

- Are there any other fun accessories I need to have?